You watch a Pixar movie rooting for it; wanting it to be another "Finding Nemo" or "Inside Out" or "Turning Red" or "Up" (regarding the latter, hold that thought). But sometimes, it's just a movie. Such is the case with "Elemental," the latest high-concept family film from the studio. It's not bad — Pixar movies rarely are — and it's sometimes charming, but ultimately it just feels a little tired. The firewood's all there, but there's not much spark, not much magic.
The story takes place in Element City, a beautiful, land-of-Oz sort of place where beings made up of the four elements — earth, air, fire and water — live together, mostly in harmony. Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis, of "The Half of It") is a fiery young woman — see what I did there? — who works in her immigrant parents' shop and tries to control her quick temper. Wade (Mamoudou Athie, of "Jurassic World Dominion") is made of water; a pale-blue guy who's a sweetheart and an easy crier. (As is his entire family, in one of the film's funnier ideas.) The two meet, become friends and eventually fall in love, realizing that their two very different worlds can happily coexist.
Directed by Peter Sohn ("The Good Dinosaur"), it's a perfectly sweet tale, and its message of different cultures connecting is a resonant and timely one. And it's often imaginatively lovely, particularly in the graceful way Ember, Wade and the other characters morph into different shapes, or show off their special skills (Ember, for example, can mend broken pipes by touching them, or shape broken shards into elegant glassware). So why does "Elemental" feel so flat for much of its running time? Here's why: It just isn't very funny. The best Pixar movies blend humor with pathos; having just half of the formula leaves us with just half of the impact.
And you don't have to look very far to find a Pixar movie that perfectly combines both of elements: "Carl's Date," the short film that's showing in theaters before "Elemental," is funnier and sweeter — in just eight minutes. It's a gentle sequel to "Up," in which Carl (voiced by Ed Asner, recorded shortly before the actor's death in 2021, at 91) gets advice from his dog Dug before heading out on his first date since the death of his beloved wife Ellie, and if you can watch it without tearing up, you're made of stronger stuff than I am. Like I said, some Pixar films are just movies, but some of them are perfect.
‘ELEMENTAL’
2.5 stars (out of 4)
MPA rating: PG (for some peril, thematic elements and brief language)
Running time: 1:43
How to watch: In theaters Friday
